Fall In
by Frontier Productions
Summary: Living an ordinary, boring American life, teenager Tyler Odom has had many "radical" ideas of the world and existence. During a normal, morning routine, he learns that at least one of his ideas may not be that radical after all. -Rating May Change-
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Zzzt...Zzzt...Zzzt

Like a fish from water, my hand flopped onto my nightstand, looking for the source of the annoyance. Finding my phone, I grab it and hold it up as it still vibrates in my hand. Opening my eyes, I look at the blurry screen and could barely make out the small bar at the bottom with the the slide tool. Putting my thumb on the dismiss bar, I-

_Fuck. I missed... _the thought entered my mind even through my groggy state as the vibrating suddenly stopped.

"Why the hell is the dismiss thing so damn small?" I hear myself mutter as I fling off my covers, swing my feet off the bed and sit on the side of it. Fumbling around on my nightstand again, my hand grasps my glasses. After putting them on, I looked at the now easy to see phone screen. Soon, the alarm was reset and the phone was resting back on the table.

Rubbing my eyes, I stood, stretched, and walked over to the door from my room. Opening the door, and wincing at the loud squeaking it made, I stepped out into the hallway.

"Meow."

"Morning kitty," I reply without thinking as I look down to see the cat sitting by my door. With the door still open, the tan cat walked into the room and I heard him as he jumped up on my desk chair. Turning a corner, I reached the cabinets outside the bathroom door. Opening the middle cabinet, I grabbed a washcloth before reaching for a towel.

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath as my hand hit the wooden shelf. Turning around, I began all the way back to my room. After grabbing an already used towel from the large pile of dirty laundry behind my door, I made it back to the bathroom, entered it, turned the light on, and shut and locked the door.

After almost falling asleep while standing up, I stepped out of the shower, dried myself off and made it back to my room with the towel wrapped around my waist. I always heard things at school of how other guys checked themselves out in the mirror or some-such but 5:45 in the morning was too damn early for me to do much of anything besides the basic stuff.

Putting on some clothes, I tossed the dirty towel and pajamas into the laundry pile. I vaguely noted that I had to do laundry but it seemed to slip my groggy mind as I lay on my bed with my head at the foot of the bed. I had grabbed my phone and put my glasses back on before laying like this. Checking my Facebook, which was somehow faster on my phone than my computer, I saw that there was nothing that really required my attention. Not wanting to go outside my room yet, I went on the Ifunny app and scrolled through some of the pictures there.

With a unenthusiastic meow, a tan ball of fur jumped onto the bed. Looking straight at me, the cat meowed once more before crawling onto my stomach and laying down. Petting the cat, I could hear and feel him begin to purr softly.

"Your getting fat," I noted out loud as the cat rolled on his side. After petting him for what seemed to be a few seconds, I checked the time on my phone. It was ten past six in the morning. This put me off schedule for my morning routine but I couldn't care less. Still, I made the cat hop off me before standing and walking from my room and turning right. Walking through my family's dining room, I walked into the kitchen. Opening the pantry, I grabbed myself a granola bar that I immediately opened and began to munch on as I moved to the other side of the island. After getting a skinny cup and setting it on the counter, I opened the fridge and grabbed the gallon of milk that sat in there.

After finishing off the granola bar and drinking the glass of milk, I looked at the kitchen clock to see that I had about ten minutes before it was half past six. Putting the cup in the sink, I shuffled back down the hallway to the bathroom, aware that the cat had been following me the whole time. Entering the bathroom, I let the cat come in with me before closing the door. Turning to the counter, I heard the cat give a meow as he hopped onto the counter and began to rub against the sink faucet.

"Yeah, yeah, you spoiled son of a bitch."

Grabbing my toothbrush, I turned on the faucet, wet my brush, and let the cat drink from the running water as I brushed my teeth. When I finished, it only took the touching of my hand to the side of his throat to tell him to move. Spit, rinse, and put the brush back. With a thud, the cat hopped down to the floor. Letting him out, I closed the door once more before looking at my face. I had facial hair growing in strong, running from one sideburn to the other. Sometimes people would mistake me for being older than the seventeen years I actually am.

After applying deodorant, I returned to my room to sit in the vacant desk chair in front of my laptop. Opening the lid, I hit the power button and set my head on my cool desk as I waited for the computer to start-up.

"_...Now or never..."_

I felt the blackness of sleep begin to take over me after the rogue thought slipped through my head. Funny thing was that it didn't sound like my usual thinking voice. As I drifted closer it closer to sleep, the thoughts came on faster and more intense.

"_It's drifting."_

"_Ready the transfer."_

"_Let's hope this one works."_

As I succumbed to sleep, the internal conversation suddenly stopped and I was left with nothing but a black, empty void within my mind.

_**A/N: In case you haven't realized yet, this is the beginning of my new Fallout Self-Insert. To anyone coming here from my ME SI, I apologize for the weird switch but I can't really continue the ME SI until my parents decide to give me back my Xbox.**_

_**Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter (I know. It's pretty dull). It will pick up in pace next chapter, I promise. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of it or if I made any mistakes.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"_Awaken!"_

My eyes snapped open and my body flung itself into a sitting position at the shout that echoed through my head. My eyes squeezed shut and hands flew to my head as it pounded mercilessly. It felt as if my brain would rip itself from my head before it suddenly stopped. It was than that I realized that the shaky, sweating palms against my head were my own. Opening my eyes, I looked around myself and felt fear spread through me like wildfire.

I was in a destroyed house, that much was for certain as the walls were but waist-high barricades around the pile of rubble that I was sitting on. I appeared to be on a hill as I looked down at the rolling desert all around the lone house. Looking up, I could see a haze in the sky. _Morning fog maybe? _I mentally asked myself as I looked back down. Seeing a car out front, I focused my gaze on it to see that it was styled like the older vehicles from the nineties.

Hearing a beeping to my left, I spied a cumbersome looking monitor sitting among the rubble. It's green screen had lighter green lettering on it. Approaching it, I could see that the keyboard seemed to be attached to it but it had no visible mouse. Something at the top of the screen drew my attention.

"RobCo. Where have I heard that before?" I asked myself as I saw only one option on the screen. It was a simple black dot highlighted by a light green bar. Looking around myself, I hit the 'Enter' key. The screen than changed to show an Audio Signal Viewer that currently showed a flat line.

"Greetings Tyler. I understand that you have many questions," though the monotone voice didn't ask it, I still found myself nodding my head, "They will all be answered in due time. However, I will answer one question right now and inform you of something you have no idea about. The reason you are here is that you are an experiment to test your... adaptability to a new environment. What you do not know is that another has been transferred with you for... insurance. They are one of your closest friends and someone that you cannot live without, even if you do not know that you possess that feeling. If you try to terminate yourself, your friend will be killed. If you try to save your friend before the test is complete, your friend will be killed. To your left is a locker buried into the rubble. There you will find some basic supplies that you will have basic knowledge for. Use caution, however. Your new form may still be a bit... stiff."

With that, the terminal turned itself off.

"A test?"

Looking to my left, I could see the locker peeking up from the rubble. Moving over to it, I removed any of the rubble that had covered the door and flung it open. I gave heed as I peered at what was inside. Puzzle pieces began to fall into place as I stared at the items given to me at my unknown kidnapper. It wasn't exactly the Stimpack that triggered it. Nor was it the modified set of Combat Armor. It was the pistol whose design had been ingrained into my head as it was the most versatile, beginner weapon in the game. The N99 10mm pistol lay to the side of the Combat Armor. Stacked under it were four boxes of ammo for the pistol and some extra clips.

Taking out the pistol, I noted that a full clip was already in the well. Pulling the slide back, I let it go slowly to watch as the bullet slid forward into the chamber. A distant howl and explosion brought me from my daze as I looked around myself with a sense of paranoia. Flicking the pistol's safety on, I set it down and dug out the Combat Armor. Instead of the shoulder pads covering the top of the shoulders and collar bones, the left pad were re-arranged to become pauldrons that covered the side of the shoulder and the upper arm. The right pad was missing completely while sewn into the sleeve was a black Omega symbol with a number 57 on the inside of the Omega.

"Damn straight," I muttered as I took one last look around me before stripping out of my shoes, socks, jeans, and shirt. After pulling on the bodysuit, I slipped on the provided socks. The boots came on last and I laced them up with a speed gained from doing it many, many times before. I made sure to tuck the bottom of the pants into the boots before tying them tight. Finally, I began to attach the armor pieces.

After much frustration and complete stops as I scanned my surroundings, I finished attaching the armor pieces. Sliding the helmet on my head, which fit perfectly, I delightfully noted that the armor came with a pair of goggles for my eyes and a breathable wrap to cover my mouth from the dirt. With the wrap covering my nose and mouth and the goggles sitting above the brim of my helmet, I peeked back into the locker.

Pulling out a pack, I spotted two shaped metal pieces on either side of the treated leather. It than struck me that I was looking at the body and barrel of a Sniper Rifle. Setting the pack down, I opened it to find three bottle of what looked to be clean water, a couple boxes of what could only be food, a worn out map of the DC area, a torn but still usable sleeping bag, some basic medical supplies, and a blank notebook with a pencil stuck in it's binding rings.

"Guess that's for a Journal or to keep me from getting bored," I commented with a shrug, still aware that I was alone. "Gotta stop talking to myself. People might think I'm crazy," I mutter with a chuckle as I re-pack the supplies. After loading all the extra ammo from the locker into the bag, I swung the bag onto my back. Now, the only items in the locker were a Chinese Assault Rifle, over a dozen extra mags for the Assault Rifle, three extra mags for the Sniper Rifle, the extra clips for the pistol, and a Combat Knife.

I had noticed the many pouches along chestplate of my armor for the AR mags as well as the pouches attached to the belt for the rest of the clips and mags. An empty sheath was attached on the front edge of my pauldron so that I could get it easily enough. Grabbing the knife, I slid it into the sheath and clipped the safety strap closed to hold the blade in place. First came the loaded pistol clips as, if I was discovered now, that would be the only thing I would remember to grab before getting the hell out of dodge. The three clips easily slid into the three pouches on the belt under my right arm. With those secured, I looked around again before taking the loaded AR mags one by one and putting them in the pouches covering the front of my torso armor and the front and left part of my belt.

Lastly, I grabbed the Sniper mags and looked at them, satisfied that these too were already loaded, as my hand felt along my belt for their pouches. I found the pouches in the back, directly under my pack. Noting that I may be laying down while shooting the rifle, it made sense for them to be back there.

With the extra magazines secure, I holstered my pistol before reaching down and grabbing the AR. The weapon was similar to the AK design back in my...

_Hell, what do I call it? Dimension? Time-line? Universe? Hmm..._

...dimension. The weapon was light and easy to hold. Hopefully it had the same similarity with the AK and could be easily cleaned. Noticing that there was already a magazine loaded into the rifle, I pulled the bolt back and let it go with a satisfying clang.

It was than that I stood up straight, looked around, and-

sat down onto the rubble.

_Goddamn it. Okay, Tyler, think. Somehow, you have been dragged into Fallout. You have no idea where you are however, due to the map, it's safe to assume that this is the Capital Wasteland. Wait, is this the Wasteland before or after the Wanderer?_

Looking around, I couldn't see anything definitive that would tell me the answer to my question.

_Right. I'm gonna assume that it's before the Wanderer. Need a plan of action. I could go to Megaton. Make myself useful there. Earn some caps and wait for the Wanderer to come out of the Vault. I doubt I could do that though as that would require trekking across these wastes, getting in there, getting on Simms's good side, and than staying in one place. I could go for the Citadel. See if they're recruiting. However, I doubt they are and, even if they were, I don't think they'd let me leave to join the Wanderer._

A thought than struck me that launched me from my internal monologue.

_Why am I planning for myself to join the Wanderer already? I should be making sure about me first. Get somewhere and get more info from my kidnapper before doing anything at all. He said that this was a test for my adaptability. He must have certain criteria that need to be met before that test can be completed._

That was when the rat-a-tat of automatic weapons reached my ears and snapped me out of my thoughts. Keeping a low crouch, I moved to the direction where the gunfire seemed to be coming from. Tiny, black specks were moving towards my hill and shooting at something between them and my hill. The green blobs made me swallow whatever saliva I had.

Setting the AR aside, I pulled off the pack and set it beside me. As my hand touched the body of the sniper rifle, a bright blue light entered my head. When the light cleared, I saw a person standing behind a table with the weapon pieces on the table. The man was wearing a clean, green bodysuit but that was all I could see of him as his face was covered with a heavy blue haze. In fact, the entire image seemed to be covered with a blue haze. The man than began to move. First, he grabbed the body of the rifle and slid it under his arm to where the scope rested beneath his armpit. Using that hand, he grabbed the magazine to steady it as he grasped the barrel with his other hand. Pulling that to the body of the Sniper Rifle, he quickly snapped it into place and gave it a firm twist. With the rifle assembled, the man set the rifle back onto the table.

With another flash of blue, the image faded and I found himself back in the real world. Looking down the hill, I could still see the fight happening. Shaking my head to clear it, I pulled out the body of the Sniper Rifle and tucked it beneath his right arm like the Blue Man had done. Pulling off the barrel, I tried to snap it into place but found that he couldn't. Slowly, I rotated the barrel until it finally snapped into place. Giving it a sharp twist, the large flash hider straightened.

"Nifty," I muttered to myself before getting down low behind the broken wall. Setting the barrel in a nook on the wall, I looked through the scope a the greenish blobs. To my dismay, my assumption was right and I was staring at a group of about half a dozen Muties. Aiming my weapon a bit higher, my seemed to scroll upwards before it rested on the group of black specks. It was a small squad of humans. Maybe four in total, who wore black armor with gray bodysuits underneath.

"Talon Company," I noted, almost wordlessly.

_-to test your... adaptability._

A smirk appeared on my hidden face as I aimed back at the Muties. Sighting on one of the monstrosities, I was suddenly glad that my dad taught me how to shoot scoped weapons back in my Dimension. Aiming at the back of the cranium, I exhaled slowly. As the last of the air left my body, the crosshairs steadied. Squeezing the trigger, the rifle bucked back into the shoulder as the bullet sped from the barrel with a loud _crack_ and a bright flash.

Ignoring the pain flaring up in my shoulder from the recoil, I watched as the Mutant's head seemed to cave in from the bullet. Choosing my next target, I did the same as before and watched as the round struck the Mutant behind the left shoulder. He wasn't dead, however, as his flesh seemed to simply absorb the round. The angered Mutant turned to where I lay with the permanent snarl on his face. Quickly, I fired again and watched with satisfaction as the bullet with through the creature's open mouth and a geyser of blood marked it's exit.

_Thank you dad. _I thought to myself as I briefly remembered the shooting lessons my dad would give me with my own 5.56, Savage bolt-action rifle.

"**Puny human! I find you!**" came the deep roar of a nearby Mutie. Snapping my head up and to the left, I could now hear the crunching of the rocks as the large Mutant approached my little sniper nest.

_Damn it. How could I be so stupid? _I cursed to myself as I set my Sniper Rifle down and grabbed my Assault Rifle. Quickly, but as silently as I could, I vacated my sniping position and moved to the other side of the rubble. If the game and fanfictions had any truth to them than the average Mutie should be as dumb, if not dumber, than a rock. They should only have the primal sense to shoot, eat, and reproduce. If I remembered correctly, they used vats to create new Mutants and, thus, took many humans alive.

Soon, I could see the Mutant come upon my nest with a sledgehammer in hand. The Mutant looked around in confusion.

"**Where he go?**" it asked, as if half-expecting me to pop out and say 'Here I am! I want to be dipped in acid and turned into a freak!'. Well, at least half of that was true.

Standing up from behind my cover, I leveled my rifle at the back of the thing's head and pulled the trigger. The rifle bucked in my hands as the bullets sped towards their intended target. The target, however, turned after only three rounds struck. Those rounds did little to put down the monstrosity before the thick frontal plate was absorbing the rounds like they were spitballs.

"**Found you!**" the Mutant shouted as it charged at me. For something so large, it was fast! Soon, the sledgehammer was swinging at my side and action came before thought. Before I could feel anything, my back slammed against a still-standing support beam, my head following suit. Luckily, my helmet took most of the damage but my vision still blurred as I fell down to my feet. Shaking my head, I noted that the ground was shaking.

Quickly looking up, I was met with the sight of a large object being swung downwards at my head.

"Shit!" I shouted as I dived to the side. Rolling to a crouch, I saw the Mutant pick his sledgehammer from the rubble and turn to face me.

"**Stand still! Me smash you!**" it snarled. An idea came to me as it berated me. Sliding my knife from it's sheath, I held it at the ready in my right hand and stood on my feet with a slight bend of the knees. Again, the Mutant charged and the sledgehammer found it's way swinging at my side again. Dropping to my stomach, I rolled to the side as the large weapon was swung over my head. I could feel the pain in my side from the first hit but the combination of adrenaline and fear kept it from hindering me as I jumped back to my feet.

When the Mutant swung it's sledgehammer again, it did so in a downwards motion. Jumping back out of range of the hammer, I waited for it to near the ground before rushing at the Mutant. I barely realized that I was screaming as loud as I could when my feet began to move. I felt my knife rotate in my hand so it was held in a reverse grip. About a second after the hammer hit the rubble, my right foot stepped on the head of the hammer. My left foot found it's way onto the monstrosity's huge right forearm. Propelling myself with my left foot, I forced myself into the air with knife drawn back to strike.

Stabbing my knife into one of the Mutant's eyes, I held on tight to the blade as I swung around to land on it's back. Wrapping my left arm as far around it's neck as I could, I withdrew my knife to just stab at it's other eye again and again.

"**It hurts!**" it screamed as it fumbled to get me off of it. The bastard was strong though and even as I stabbed repeatedly, the bastard kept stumbling about the rubble like a drunk.

Two, large hands than grabbed onto my sides as I withdrew my knife. With unheard of strength, I found myself being ripped from the back of my target and being sent sailing through the air. I briefly caught a glimpse of the second Mutant that flung me before I crashed into a weak wall. The wall couldn't stand up to the impact and shattered, sending me tumbling through the air with splinters and other pieces of debris.

Finally, I landed on the bare ground of the hill. My already injured side exploded in pain as it was the first to hit the ground and I felt my helmet leave my head and my knife leave my hand from the impact. Slowly, I rolled to a stop on my stomach. Looking up, I could still see the broken house. An explosion rocked the hill as the house lit up in a bright light. Chunks of what I assumed to be the two Mutants flew in multiple directions.

I didn't have time to celebrate their deaths or mourn the probable loss of my equipment as a rough kick to my uninjured side caused me to roll onto my back. Before I was even fully on my back, the barrel of an American Assault Rifle was shoved in my face with a not so pleased, feminine face behind it. Her black armor and helmet were a dead enough give-away and the white, outstretched talon on her breast was just reaffirming what I already knew. I managed a small smirk behind my mask as my eyes found hers.

"Howdy."

_**A/N: Well. That finishes Chapter Two. All that equipment and it's basically gone within the first day. Damn, I'm careless. Hehe. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this one and the action within it. Please leave a review of what you thought of it. I would especially like feedback on the combat scenes.**_

_**I know that next chapter should be fun to write. What with Talon Company and all.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Howdy."

She did not seem to be amused at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the gun had inched just a bit closer to my face. I felt my pistol be relieved from it's holster by someone but I kept my eyes firmly planted on hers. I was hoping that they would let me live. It'd suck if I died the first day here.

"Who are you? Why did you help us?" she finally asked after a pair of hands had patted me down for more weapons.

"I'm a wanderer and I helped because I think it's fun to pop some Mutie heads," I replied, noting that my nose and mouth were still covered by the wrap. I had expected the reaction I would receive as her rifle barrel began to dig into my flesh. I felt my heart beat quicken and I struggled to keep my outward appearance calm.

"Name, age, and what you were doing out here," she demanded, putting a little extra pressure behind the rifle for emphasis. I gave a sigh,

"Tyler Odom, 17, and I was looking for some work. I saw the battle, saw you guys and thought that you guys looked too official to be some small, one-time merc band," I gave a small shrug, "Guess I thought that y'all would let me join if I showed ya my worth."

"You gave us a show alright," chimed in another female voice from outside my field of vision. A couple of deep chuckles followed. A look from the woman holding the gun to my face silenced them. I felt the pressure behind the rifle relax before the rifle was lifted from my face and aimed at the sky above.

"Get up," she commanded. Sitting up, I had to stop for a second as pain flared up in my side. However, soon I was on my feet. Turning around to where she was standing, I could see her, another woman, and three men standing there and staring at me. The first woman had a look of curiosity on her face. As if she was debating on why she let me live. I found myself thinking the same thing. The second woman, who made the show comment, had a smile on her face as if she was planning something. One of the men looked indifferent as he looked me over, his arms crossed over his chest. Another, a big guy seemed to be staring daggers at me, as if I was intruding on his turf by standing here. The last guy scared me the most. He had a hunting rifle cradled in his arms and seemed to be staring _through _me, instead of at me.

The woman in charge motioned something towards her squad and I found my pistol being tossed at my chest. Catching it, I looked up to see my bag and helmet fall to my feet, followed by the clattering of my rifle. Holstering my pistol, I picked up my rifle to see that it was bent at almost a ninety degree angle with the vertex being just forward of the magazine. _Well, now I know why I was still able to move after that Mutant smashed me with the damn hammer, _I thought to myself as I ejected the magazine. Holding the mag in my hand, I looked at the loaded bullets before tapping the side of the magazine against my pauldron. This was to ease some of the dirt out from between the rounds. After tapping it about four or five times, I stowed the magazine in a pouch before tossing my rifle back to the ground.

Looking down at my pack, I noticed that my Sniper Rifle was missing. Grabbing my helmet, I slid it onto my head before walking past the Talon mercs and to the house wreckage. I heard the lead woman calling my name but didn't stop as I moved to my sniping position. There, I saw a glint of metal sticking from the rubble. Moving to it, I dug off the rubble to find my Sniper Rifle. Miraculously, it was still intact. Taking it in both hands, I walked back to my pack. Ignoring the woman some more, I walked past the mercs and crouched by my pack. Breaking the rifle into two parts, I attached the parts to my bag before shrugging it onto my back.

That's when I finally turned back to the merc squad. The woman in charge seemed frustrated, as did the big man. The other woman seemed amused, if not curious. The average sized man still seemed indifferent, but I could swear he wore a ghost of a smile. The marksman seemed interested by my rifle.

"Are you done?" asked the squad leader, her voice giving way to her irritation. I looked to my pauldron, to see my empty sheath.

"Where's my knife?" I asked, looking back at the squad. I instantly saw the marksman fidget from foot to foot. Their squad leader seemed to take notice as she walked over to him and held out her hand, like a parent might do to a child as she asked,

"Can you give it to me, please?"

The marksman looked at me, almost pleading to keep it. He than looked at his squad leader and, seeing that he was defeated, took it from somewhere behind his back and handed it, hilt first, to her. Flipping the knife around to hold it by the blade, she walked over to me and held it out to me. Grabbing the hilt, I took the knife in hand. After looking it over for any damage, I lined it up with my sheath and slid it in. After clasping the safety thing, I looked at the squad leader and nodded my head,

"Ready."

"Follow us and stay close," she said, nodding back. After that, she motioned for her squad to move and they all started to head east, opposite the way that they had came. Making sure the cloth covered my mouth, I shrugged the pack higher up on my shoulders before following behind them. Giving one last look at the house ruins, I gave an elongated sigh as I looked east. I knew that my life would never be the same again, but it wasn't enough to keep my thoughts from wondering to back home.

After only a few minutes, I pulled my goggles over my eyes to hide my tears.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Run goddamn it! Move!" I shouted as I turned and propelled myself down the rocky trail that we had been following. I spared a look back to see that the Talon squad, although they mistrusted me to a degree, were following what I said and were sprinting after me with all they had. Behind them was the large beast that was the bane of the wasteland. Standing eight feet tall with a set of demonic horns and long claws, it resembled an overgrown lizard but was more dangerous than an Old World black bear.

I turned back forward to push my feet harder against the dirt. I could hear the loud stomps of it's feet against the ground as it charged after us and I began to see it in my brain as it got closer and closer to the rear Talon merc.

"Everyone down!" I heard someone shout. Without thinking twice, I let my legs buckle and fell to the ground, sliding along the dirt. The loud stomps roared past me as the Deathclaw overshot us. I saw it begin to skid along the loose rock and dirt as it tried to stop itself and reverse it's direction.

"Move to the right! Run you sons of bitches!"

Pushing myself to my feet, I began sprinting to the right. My breathing picked up pace and I could feel my heart hammering in my chest as the stomping of the monstrosity's feet continued. I began to feel the muscles in my legs burn as we ran but I didn't dare stop. Looking to my right, I saw the Talon squad keeping pace with me, but not on purpose. Everyone was weighed down with some sort of equipment. The one with less equipment, the Talon marksman, was leading the pack but just barely. Hearing gunfire, I looked back at the squad to see the large set man firing over his shoulder.

"Shit! Jump!" I heard the marksman yell. Looking forward, I saw the gap just in time to send whatever power I had left through my legs and to the soles of my feet. Propelling myself into the air, I spared a glance down to see the sharp rocks of the edge of the canyon and to see a Yao Gui staring up at us. It might have been my imagination but it looked confused and startled, all at once. I also saw that our target landing spot was a thin, jutting out rock.

With a thud and some sliding rocks, my feet landed on the other side. Hearing too much sliding of rocks, I looked back to see the large man falling backwards from the ledge. Skidding to a stop, I practically jumped across the small amount of space to the man and grabbed his hand, pulling with all the force I could. It didn't help however, as I felt myself being pulled with him. Two arms suddenly wrapped around my waist and pulled on me as I pulled on him.

I could hear and see the large Deathclaw charging towards us, getting ever closer. Sweating, I pulled with all my strength. Finally, the big man recovered his footing and nodded a thanks. I turned to run, to see cracks forming along the edge of where the skinny jut connected to the rest of the hill. As the big man began to sprint off, I yanked a grenade from his harness.

"Run!" I shouted when the big man and squad leader, who I'm guessing was the one who helped me, turned to give me angered and confused looks respectively. They stayed for about a second before the squad leader nodded and pushed the big man to continue running across the hill. I heard the rock crack some more as it didn't like my weight but I knew that it wouldn't break by itself. Holding the grenade in a death grip, I waited as the large beast charged at me.

It didn't stop in confusion or anything like the movies portrayed. To it, it didn't matter if it's prey ran or not. Food was food. It's powerful legs seemed to rippled with every step. My goggles rested above the brim of my helmet so I felt the dirt and sweat begin to sting my eyes as I waited.

Finally, it leaped into the air. It intended on bringing it's feet down, hard, on my body as it had it's legs up to it's chest. _Perfect. _Pulling the pin off the grenade, I let it fall onto the crack as I dove away. Hitting the ground on my stomach, I felt the air leave my lungs as my hands covered my head. Holding my mouth open to prevent the shock wave from injuring me more, I listened as the hard thud of the landing Deathclaw seemed to shake my very being. What seemed louder in my ears though was the cracking of the rock face.

With a loud _boom _the grenade went off. The rock seemed to scream as it broke completely and began to tumble down the cliff. With a deathly roar, I heard the Deathclaw scraping at the rocks as it tried to save itself from death, or at least the loss of it's meal. After a few seconds, and some more thuds, I raised my head to look around. I saw the Talon squad staring back at me but that was the least of my worries as I rolled onto my left side, since my pack prevented me from rolling any farther, and looked at the cliff. Not seeing a massive Deathclaw staring me down with hungry eyes, I picked myself up and walked over to the edge. From the look of the crater it had left, it appeared that the grenade had actually worked it's way into a crack. That fact was probably what saved me from getting peppered by shrapnel.

Looking down, I saw the Deathclaw laying on the ground. Before I could even begin to celebrate, it shakily got to it's feet. After shaking it's head clear, it looked up at me with what appeared to be more hatred than normal. As it began to roar, the large Yao Gui slammed into the demonic creature and began to claw and bite at it.

I would have stayed. I would have rooted on the Yao Gui and hoped it would win. The only thing that stopped me from doing so was someone grabbing me and basically tossing me the other way.

"Come on rook. No point in rubbing it in," I heard a female voice say. Deep in my head, I knew she was joking but my immediate thought was that, that wouldn't be the last time I saw that Deathclaw. The thought was strange but I just felt something deep down that told me I would see it again in the future and that it would remember who I was.

* * *

><p>After about a hour or two of hiking, I finally saw Fort Bannister in the distance. I was excited at the prospect that the journey was over and that I could begin the training that would inevitably take place. That excitement caused me to walk a bit taller and with more purpose, compared to before when I was dragging my feet and walking with my head hung low. Soon, my life was gonna change once more. I wasn't going to be Tyler, the boring, geeky teenager, or even Tyler, the random Wastelander. Soon, I'd be Tyler, the Talon Merc.<p>

Sure, I knew that Talon Company were morally wrong and were technically the "bad guys" of Fallout but I had always wanted to see the world from their point of view. Besides that, it was in my best interest to join with them. Less chance of dying without a purpose in the wastes or dying from boredom in a settlement.

That was one thing that had always scared me the most. Dying without a purpose. I had always told my friends that if I was walking one day and had a piano randomly fall on me, that I would die being one very pissed off person. However, I also told them that I would die with contentment if I had lost my life in protecting, or saving, another person's life.

I was brought out of my thoughts by the barking of dogs and the yelling of his 'escort' squad's leader.

"Shut that dog up! He's with us!"

I looked around, finally noticing that we had actually entered the above ground section of Fort Bannister. I was almost overflowing with excitement but my body held it in.

_It's the "Eleventh Hour" Tyler. Keep your cool. If they notice how much you know about this place, they'd likely put a bullet in your head than and there._

Swallowing the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat, I looked to the angered dogs and back to the other woman of the squad that brought me here.

"Pretty beat up camp," I commented, hoping that my voice was casual. Looking around, I could see the perimeter guards around the base. In a clear, flat area was a platoon doing calisthenics in their gray bodysuits and black boots. I could hear their Platoon Leader, a Lieutenant if their ranks went the same as the military, calling out cadence as the platoon pumped out jumping jacks.

"It gets even better rook," she replied slapping my lone pauldron. I looked to her to see her motioning me to follow. Walking with her, I came upon a crater in the middle of a crumbled building. In the center of the crater was a green army tent with a generator light outside of it and a Talon Merc armed with an American R91 Assault Rifle guarding it.

"New recruit?" the guard asked, looking me over as my escort made me stop in front of him.

"Yep."

"He seems a bit more... prepared than the usual recruit," the guard replied. This caused a small smile to form on my lips, which were exposed since I had pulled my face mask down to around my neck.

"I would be more prepared if I had my assault rifle with me still," I commented, shrugging some. The guard just seemed to give me a look,

"What happened to it?"

"Well-"

"Crazy bastard used it to block a Super Mutant's sledgehammer strike," I looked back to see the big man standing behind us. Before I could say anything, he continued, "He than tried to take on the bastard with a combat knife before he got-"

"Almost won," tossed in my female escort with a smirk being directed my way. The big man nodded,

"Right. He **almost** won. Was wrapped around the thing's neck and stabbing it in the eye. That was until another one came up and tossed his ass like he weighed little more than a pebble."

"Damn," commented the guard, giving me a another lookover, "Well, Crazy Bastard, it looks like you came to the right place."

I gave a small chuckle before motioning to the two Talons whose squad I had tagged along with, "Just remember to ask them how I saved their asses from a Deathclaw."

A large hand shoved my shoulder, making me take a step forward to keep from falling on my face.

"Don't get too full of yourself," warned the large man. The guard just seemed confused but shrugged it off as he motioned us inside.

"Hurry up and get him to the Green Pen. I think he'll be one of the last to show up."

I saw the woman nod before ushering me into the tent. Entering the tent, all I saw was a manhole jutting from the ground. After a nod from the woman, I pried off the manhole cover and began to climb down the ladder. Reaching the bottom, I blinked a bit to let my eyes adjust to the darkness as I got out of the way of the ladder. The ladder had brought me down into what looked to be the sewer system. However, on the other side of where the ladder was, past a sandbag barricade, lay a metal door.

After the woman reached the bottom, she motioned me to follow her. Approaching the door, she gave the guard behind the sandbags a nod as the door opened for her. Going through it after her, I saw that we came out into a building of sorts. Looking out the window, I saw another building across from mine and a little further down. Following her again, she brought me down via stairs to the level I had seen and through a door.

After navigating the nearly identical hallways, she ended up at a door with a sign next to it. The sign marked the room as the 'Green Pen'. Motioning with her hands to sit still, she opened the door and entered the room. I could only hear her side of the short conversation, however.

"Got another one for you."

…

"Of course... sir," she finished, using the word 'sir' like it stung her mouth and throat to say it. She walked back outside and stood in front of me, shaking her head. I heard her mutter an "Asshole" before she looked at me and motioned me inside.

"Good luck," she than smirked and gave me a slap on the side of my helmet, "Crazy Bastard."

I gave her a small smile and mouthed "Thanks" before getting rid of the smile and entering the room. Inside, I could see over thirty other wasters in random clothing sitting on benches, on cans, on the ground, or leaning against the wall. They all seemed to be looking my way but I paid them little attention. It was the man at the front, flanked by two armed Talon Mercs, that commanded my attention. His boots were somehow shiny, even in the wasteland, and his bodysuit and armor didn't seem to have a spot on them either. Instead of the normal headgear of a Merc, such as a headwrap, a helmet, or going bareheaded, he wore what looked to be an Army dress cap. The dark color seemed to match his armor but it seemed so out of place with his entire get up that it took all I had to keep from laughing.

"Looks like I finally got someone who at least **looks **like he knows what he's doing!" he shouted, looking around the room at the random assortment of wastelanders. There were both male and female wasters and while some wore nice enough clothing, others were wearing tatters. While some appeared to have joined for the adventured or bloodlust, it was clear that others had joined just to survive. I looked back when I heard the door closing itself. When it was fully closed, I looked back forward to see the ridiculously dressed Merc looking my way.

"That's right! You have made your choice and there is no more backing out! You are now **my **property until your training is completed!" he said, shouting once more. With the door closed, his voice echoed loudly around the room. I could see tears running down some recruits' faces while others seemed to be staring through everyone. Crossing my arms, I shifted my weight to one foot and looked back at the Merc at the front, willing him to get this over with.

He seemed to send me a hated glare and I inwardly sighed as I realized that I had probably made myself a target of his inhuman aggression. Lucky for me, he just continued his rant.

"My name is Sergeant Kilborn! You will address me as 'sir'! The first and last words out of your mouth will be 'sir'! Is that understood roaches?"

"Sir yes sir." replied the room at random intervals. I was vaguely aware that my voice was among the loudest.

"What the hell was that roaches? All together! And be loud! Make Jabsco himself hear you!"

"Sir yes sir!" roared the room. Most of them had been together with the others being mere seconds off in their timing. Kilborn, however, seemed pleased as he nodded his and looked out across the room.

"It is my job to train you dirty, washed up, undisciplined roaches into cold, calculating killing machines! Tomorrow you will be issued bodysuits, boots, and armor! If you lose your bodysuit or boots, you will be doing push-ups until I say stop! If you lose your armor, you will be doing push-ups until it rains and I see green sprouting up! If you try to steal any of it, you will be shot! Do you understand?"

"Sir yes sir!"

Kilborn than smiled the most malicious smile that I've ever had the displeasure of seeing, "Well roaches. Welcome to your first day of training!" he than paused as he examined all of them. Than his eyes rested on me and his smile seemed to defy physics and grow even wider, "On your feet roaches! And take everything you brought with you! We're going on a little stroll!"

Inwardly, I rolled my eyes. I had watched enough movies and read enough books and fanfictions to know what he meant by 'a little stroll'. As he pushed his way through the crowd, with his guards behind him, and made his way towards me, I couldn't help but groan. As he stopped in front of me, he motioned for one of his guards to open the door as he faced me.

"You ready for some fun, roach?"

"Sir yes sir," I replied evenly.

"What was that roach? Your mumbling," he instigated, putting a cupped hand to his ear, turning his head and leaning in slightly.

"Sir yes sir!" I bellowed, making sure some spit flew onto his face. If he felt it, he didn't give any indication as he straightened his head and nodded, following his guards out the now open door. As I followed them, I began to notice that no one tried to pass me. Even when I slowed down, none of the other trainees made to pass. Not even the ones who I had singled out as being here for the bloodlust.

_Just great. Already, I've been singled out. _I let out a small sigh, _Might as well deal with it since I got nowhere else to go. Well except for Riley's Rangers. If they even started up yet._

My mind than drifted off to think about that. When did the Rangers appear in the wastes? In fact, what time-period was it really? Not seeing any Aqua Pura bottle around, I assumed it was before the Purifier was fixed but besides that, I had no idea.

_Fuck me, this is getting confusing. Alright Tyler. First, you just need to get through this guy's definition of fun. Than you need to find out who the hell brought you here and put a bullet through their brain. Than you can go home and sit on your ass._

I felt myself chuckle lightly,

_Leave it to me to have my first thought of returning home be about me being lazy._

_**A/N: Alright. Done with Chapter Four a bit earlier than expected. Always a good thing, right? Anyways, I realize last chapter was kinda short and not really all that advancing with the ploy and for that I apologize and have brought you this chapter to make up for it.**_

_**As always, please leave a review telling me what you think of the story, if I'm overpowering him, or of anything else that needs fixing. Even if it's some minute point with the canon, I will change it (if it's true).**_

_**No matter if you leave me a review or not (please do), I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the story so far. There is still much, much more.**_


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